Fate
by BlueBotSuit
Summary: In an alternate reality where the heroes of Destiny inhabit an arid, new home world, where the descendants of these heroes live in vast cities where technology and magic coexist harmoniously, and where the god of darkness, Ahriman has set loose Corruption upon the largest enterprises and thus created a tyrranical rule. This is the time of the rebels that will take back their world.
1. Prologue

Prologue  
>The clock struck four, it's large black hands pointing toward the stylized numbers of his pocketwatch. He lazily released the device as it swung gently back into his pocket seeminglyof its own accord. He seemed uninterested in the situation he was in but his heart was beating fast within his chest. His eyes moved lazily but took in every detail, his hands silenty shook from the strained effort to keep calm. Just when he thought it would be safe to leave, the man emerged from the writhing crowd with a black briefcase that seemed to have small spheres placed in the side.<p>

One, however, was missing from the upper left hand corner he realized all too late. At that moment a number of things happened; a voice came over the old speaker system drowning out all noise, a train whistle blew and steam covered him, the man with the biefcase gripped his arm tightly, a dark projectile hit its target which instantly darkened and shrunk. the momet ended and the man with the briefcase emerged from the steam looking satisfied, one of the shopowners nearby thought to himself "Wasn't there a missing piee just a second ago?" then told himself he'd seen wrong because it clearly wasn't missing anything now. As for the one checking his watch, well, he was never seen again.


	2. Chapter 1: The Shooting

12 Minutes Earlier

The crystalline surface of the weapon shone inpenatrably in the sunlight, the only thing contaminating its pure transparency was a dark splotch sitting comfortably in the barrel. The Assassin had been waiting what seemed like hours when the call came, the target had been spotted wearing a pocketwatch with a single diamond on the lid. He peered yet again into the scope, scanning for anyone with a pocketwatch, there were one or two false alarms seeing as pocketwatches had been a growing trend in the everchanging trade. Finally, a bright gleam caught his eye, it originated from a diamond on a pocketwatch; target spotted. The Assassin called it in then awaited his next order, he shifted uncomfortably in the heat of the yellowish-white hot sun silently cursing himself for denying the air-conditioned model.

Another call arrived, he prepared to fire by switching to thermal, suddenly the speakers buzzed to life in the station below. That was his cue, he fired, direct hit; the Assassin stood and stretched quickly after staying motionless for several hours then packed his gear and fled across the rooftops. As predicted the bots began swarming the crimescene, their cameras clicking away while others ushered bystanders to move along with metallic voices. The Assassin took out an object from his utility belt, praying the contents in the vial were mixed correctly and injected it into his arm. At first there was sharp, throbbing pain then a numb feeling that spread like water washing over his entire body and the suit that covered it.

Slowly feeling returned starting with the injection site and spreading just like the process that numbed it to begin with. Unfortunately it wasn't fast enough, a bot arrived on the roof mere feet from him. The Assassin searched fervently for something to hide behind but the flat, featureless roof offered nothing. The bot was currently turned away so he began to sneak away as quickly and silently as possible toward the edge with the intent to hang out of sight. However when he glimpsed the scene below it seemed wiser to stay on the roof.

Down below were at least ten bots scanning everything within sight. As the Assassin was pondering a plan the bot on the roof caught sight of a vaguely human shaped shimmering. This was enough to convince it that a man really was there, the alarm began blaring immediately thus calling several more bots to its location. The Assassin instictively threw one of the flourescent knives at it as to stop the alarm. It was too late though, the backup would arrive at any second, the Assassin retrieved the knife and began to sprint from the area.

The next twenty minutes or so were a blur of jumping and turning, swinging and sprinting until he arrived at the rendevous point. At this point he was certain that he wasn't followed but as an added precaution he circled the block a few times before entering the tall, sandy building.


	3. Chapter 2: The Heist

24 Hours Earlier

The leader never showed his face but whoever it was must've been a genius because even without his identity all the mercenaries, thieves, and con artists had learned to trust his plans. They never failed and were always executed flawlessly, however even they were phased by this last one. "Sir?" said the Thief, "yes?" replied the blacked hologram of the Leader in a deep, yet clearly fake voice.

"I know that we've accomplished a lot, and so far all your plans have gone off without a hitch but is this Associate of yours really worth the risk?" she replied, the hologram paused as if pondering what to say "the Associate... Is part of something greater, and his role is top priority. I know what I'm asking of you must be flawless but that's why I hired you, because you're the best." They stood silent for a moment then the Merc said "Where are we to rendevous afterwards?" "The abandoned temple downtown, look for the spire."

Then a new voice joined the conversation "and where do I join in?" "Excellent" the Leader said, the happiness evident in his voice "yours is the most important job of all. The target has seen these other three but your ability to blend in with a crowd will render you the perfect Spy according to our purposes." "Which are?" "All you need to know is he will be waiting for a train, he cannot board that train. More details will be provided tomorrow, but for now grab a chip and await further instructions. Dismissed"

the Leader's mysterious silhouette disappeared vanished as four slots opened in front of the agents standing around the small, circular table. The Thief grabbed hers and plugged it in, the Leader's prerecorded resonated in her skull as he explained her mission "-this is to be executed immediately, over." She left the others standing at the table without a word, exited the building, and arrived an hour later at her destination. There was only one place she knew of that could make cells like the one she needed. It wasn't going to be easy but it was essential to the mission, presently she stood at the high-voltage gate.

She looked down at the vial of bright green liquid in her hand, the Alchemist didn't part with the serum easily but she obtained it, using it sparingly she switched to Dimensional Vision to watch the progress. "One more drop should do" she thought, another drop fell onto the invisible barrier and ate away just enough of the physical and dimensional gate for her to fit through. Just then a bot wandered lazily over on the inside of the fenced area, it didn't seem to notice the hole so it flew away in its orbit of the facility. As it turned away from her she noticed faint, nearly indiscernable runes floating like invulnerable shields around it. Bots on their own were bad enough but enchanted bots were nearly impossible to sneak past.

This would require a viral serum, she reached into her small pack and pulled out a box with skull and crossbones on it. There were only three left, she'd have to be careful. She loaded one gently into her diamond rifle, (hers had been carefully cut to not reflect nearly any light, leaving it as stealthy as her) she aimed toward a bot, refocused to the circling runes, and fired. The ethereal needle stuck dead on to a rune that was shaped like a cube with a darkened corner. This was a Class 3 Strength rune, she worried momentarily about whether or not it would take but sure enough the bot began to shake and move toward the others.

Soon they were all shaking and eventually shutting down, that's when the alarm sounded. Most bot makers left the manuel operations out of the picture years ago but apparently they found this worth protecting enough to have a human guard watch the cams. They started to double the security measures, it was now or never, she accessed one of the deepest, most primal areas of her brain where the fifth dimension, magic as it used to be called, flowed the strongest. It changed the alchemical mix in her body to one of transparency, unlike serums that are painful and slow to take effect she focused on doing it herself with her personal magic, as an advantage it's nearly instantaneous and painless. The wall began the resetting process, thus the hole was about to close she realized.

She dove through not a second too soon, a satisfactory noise resounded as the wall was made whole again just as her foot cleared. She stood up and shook off the dust then pulled out several vials of what appeared to be colorful powder, as she opened the lid to each a word formed in her mind. _Silence, Swiftness, _and _Direction _buzzed in her head suddenly they became runes circling her, she knew where she needed to go. She sprinted up to the building and began to expertly climb the smooth surface like a mountain goat. A small handhold here, a pole to swing on there, and she made to the opening, she didn't need runes for this.

Amateur thieving in the streets during her childhood left her with the ability to flee around, under, and over any surface no matter how impossible it may seem. She recalled how lonely it was growing up as an orphan left to die on the street. Her temporary imbalance on a beam brought her back to reality, the vent to her right she knew was part of the refridgeration system. It would lead her to the cells, she knew that to make these cells required an arctic environment due to the natural instability of the material. She reached nimbly over to the vent and ripped the lid off, the runes silenced the act as she was doing it.

This allowed her to enter the frigid atmosphere unnoticed by the troops that continued to funnel out of the facility during the lockdown. She was in, she started to crawl through the cramped space until the small tunnel led to a fork, one led up, the other led down, and the final one kept straight. She knew that all factories like this kept their most valuable items in the basement so she began the slow descent. As she lowered herself she noticed a faint glow below her, it grew brighter the more she advanced until she knew what it had to be. She stopped immediately, inches from the first beam, they had set lasers throughout the shaft at intervals of about two feet.

This already proved to be her toughest job yet, she could only imagine what waited for her in the room itself. She flipped over acrobatically and began to climb headfirst down the shaft very carefully, looking feverishly for anything that could burn her limbs off. After about twenty minutes of contorting into nearly impossible positions the lasers gave way to open vent once more. She sensed that her target was close so she dropped the remaining fifteen feet to the bottom, landing gracefully and silently in front of the opening to a room. The inside was well lit and full of various weapons capable of unknown amounts of damage but she was focused on one thing: the eight perfectly round, black spheres held individually in place by clawlike restraints directly in the center of the large storage room.

She thought through how she would retrieve one: the Returning Blade wouldn't work, the restraints wouldn't release, entering the room was too risky, and she couldn't shoot it. Or could she? She pulled out her second viral serum and aimed toward the tiny access port in the claw's stand. She fired, then to her disappointment saw it bounce harmlessly off the frame and shatter. Quickly she pondered if there were any other way to obtain it.

When she came to the same conclusion as before she loaded the last vial. She slowed her breathing, zoomed to where the access port was the only thing visible through the scope, prayed silently, and fired. This time she heard a satisfying zap as it fried the circuits within, the claw was silent for a while then suddenly released the sphere. The Thief let out her breath and silently congratulated herself, then she took out another powder vial and blew its contents into the room. The powder gathered into a rune, the one for _Recover _and floated directly to the sphere.

The rune made contact and disappeared then the sphere began to float back to the Thief. She stretched her arm through the wide metal slots and caught it out of the air. The object was cold and heavy in her hands, every inch of it perfectly smooth and glossy black. She reached back and placed it in the refridgerated compartment of her pack. She called in and informed the Leader the cell was aquired then tapped a series of buttons on the arm of her suit, a brilliant light flashed through the vent and she was gone. Moments later a very satisfied looking woman was seen exiting the downtown temple followed by a distinguished looking gentleman with a briefcase.


	4. Chapter 3: The Interrogation

1 Hour and 30 Minutes Earlier

The Merc watched the Thief as she left, then took the chip that contained his next assignment. The Leader began to speak when he plugged it in, when he was finished the Merc left as well, he knew the mission was borderline suicidal but that's why he became a Mercenary in the first place, plus he owed this to him for saving his life. He arrived at the luxurious, first class train half an hour later and bought a late night express ticket. The man in the booth looked dubiously at the rugged soldier for hire, then at the first class ticket that he was purchasing then handed it over. "forty czuts, please" the booth attendant said, the Merc was wondering if it was worth the price to actually buy it when he remembered the Leader's specific instructions not to have any unnecessary casualties.

He grudgingly handed over the precious coins and boarded, his seat was in the first compartment on the left hand side near the window in the front. The man that was to sit beside him was wearing a thin mask covered in what appeared to be sand, apparently the city he had come from was in a large sandstorm that was headed in the direction the train would be taking. "Perfect conditions for a holdup" thought the Merc, he took his seat just as the train began moving, the magnetic energy surged as the train lifted gradually off the track. At that moment the jet engines kicked in sending the train zipping down the line at over four hundred miles an hour, they would arrive at their destination in less than an hour. At least that's what the conductor thought, however the Merc had other plans that involved a change in the schedule, he stood up and walked briskly toward the bathroom.

Once safely inside he reached into his coat and grabbed an oddly shaped metal contraption, it was cylindrical in nature but widened into two seperate handles on one end. The other end had long pointed needles sticking out of it in a small circle and seemed to make an odd buzzing noise whenever the Merc brought it near the negative magnetic parts of the train. He flicked a lever on the side and watched the machine whizz to life, small blue bolts of lightning licked the needles as the machine started to roam about as if seeking something. Mere seconds later it had found it, the chain of negative electromagnetics that held the compartments together, he then waited silently for the sound of sand pebbles rebounding off the train at over four hundred mile an hour. Minutes passed in breathless anticipation, he began to think that they had missed it when suddenly it became unbearably loud, he plunged the needles instantly into the stream of energy.

The sound of the compartments of the train being released was muffled, the Merc then proceeded to run out of the bathroom screaming for added effect and entered the engine room. The passengers saw this and assumed that he must've never been on a train in a sandstorm before and that he was simply going to complain to the conductor about the racket. This was partly true, the Merc had never imagined how loud it would be in a situation like this so the acting was partially real terror at the heartwrenching sound but that immediately vanished as he cut the act and became serious. The conductor rushed about the room flipping switches, pressing buttons, and typing commands, every now and then he stared at a specific graph for a while then resumed the frantic rush. It took a few minutes for him to realized that there was another living soul in the room, when he finally did he yelled something incomprehensible then pulled at several levers and switched.

Gradually the noise grew smaller until it was merely a nuisance in the background, the conductor said "Sorry about that, the first few minutes are the worst. Rest assured it has passed, now all the compartments are soundproofed, well I think they are, the graph over on the left says the other eight compartments aren't accounted for but this is an old model so it's probably no big deal." the Merc stood guarding the door, "Or maybe it is" the conductor slowly processed the position he was in and made a rush for the door. One punch and he was out like a light, his eye seemed swollen but other than that the Merc guessed that he would be fine, he was told that the emergency shut off switch would be a large yellow lever. However there were at least three of those, he would have to use his primitive knowledge to figure out which it was.

If he was wrong lots of innocent people could die, "God help anyone on this train" he thought before he pulled a particularly large yellow lever. Something outside went flying away down the track, the Merc released it, he tried once more with a smaller yellow lever and the train started wobbling left and right, he immediately pushed in back to its original position and the wobbling stopped. He tried one final lever with a gear visible below it, to his amazement the train began to slow down until it floated to a halt somewhere in the desert. He found the speaker system on the raised platform at the opposite end of the room, there was a touchscreen control system set out in a semicircle around the chair in the center, the walky talky looking device hung from the ceiling and echoed when the Merc talked. "Good evening ladies and gentlmen, it is my great pleasure to announce that your conductor has fallen asleep on the job and now the train is motionless. It will remain motionless unless the good fellow in seat 38-B agrees to come forth to the front of the train to have a word with me. Thank you for your valuable time, this is your temporary conductor wishing you a wonderful day!"

The Merc spun about in the chair and observed the security cameras, waiting for the ensuing panic and eventual forcing of the man to come forward. They responded as predicted and he spun back around to view the man he was sent to interrogate, he was tall but skinny, his face was angular, and he had light brown eyes, he seemed frightened but there was a look of determination in his eye that didn't seem quite normal like it was the will of another that forced his mouth to be shut tight. "Please have a seat" the Merc said with a sly grin gesturing toward the empty seat to his right, the man walked uncoordinatedly to the chair and sat "shall we begin?" Over the next half hour the Merc tortured the poor soul unaware of what torture he was really in, yet the man kept saying the same thing "Ahriman shall soon come, do not resist." The Merc tried everything in his arsenal but only when he began to chant a Light Magic spell did the man respond, at first he screeched like a dying animal then he sat up looking confused and scared.

"Who is the Associate?" the Merc asked for what seemed like the millionth time, the man only said one thing barely loud enough to hear "the diamond pocketwatch, the diamond pocketwatch..." That was all the Merc needed to hear, he pushed the emergency brake forward again and the train once more hummed to life. He called in the information he had gathered then suddenly a flash of light filled the room and he was gone. Moments later he left the downtown temple, followed minutes later by a very satisfied looking woman.


	5. Chapter 4: The Party

1 Hour and 30 Minutes Earlier

The Spy watched quietly as the two of them seperately walked out of the building, they just heard that they would be executing the most difficult jobs in each of their respective careers by the looks on their faces. He didn't have to look hard or long to come to that conclusion, it was a gift, just one look and he could tell what they were thinking and what they were feeling. Not only that but with enough analysis he could essentially become that person, the personality, clothing, and speech down to a tee, but even all that couldn't have prepared him for the assignment he was about to engage in. He plugged the tiny chip in and listened intently as he always did whenever the Leader spoke, even through the multiple layers of encryption there was something very familiar about it as though he'd heard it in a dream. The Spy returned to reality just as the Leader gave the mission briefing, after he finished the Spy left the building to the Assassin who seemed too wrapped up in his own worries to even notice the chip stretched out for him to take.

He had just heard important news and didn't need another thing to worry about was the Spy's educated guess, "poor guy" he thought to himself as he headed back to his home, there he changed into much more formal attire. When the costume was donned the Spy guessed that no one, not even the mayor himself would suspect his hidden motives nor his presence at such a prestigious event without so much as an invitation to verify his false status in the Upper Class of this fine city. An hour later he arrived at the dinner party, he expected to arrive sooner but his train was delayed by some sort of defect in the previous train's magnetic couplings. Apparently the first compartment had been seperated from the rest by a fierce sandstorm but he didn't pry any further into it, he walked into the luxurious palace through a side entrance just as a crowd of partygoers passed by. He laughed right on cue to some joke he hadn't heard the leader of the group say, the ones nearest to him looked at him somewhat suspiciously but then turned back around not wanting to cause a scene over a sharply dressed man that may have merely wandered over.

The Spy began his hunt as he entered the main area with the others, he detached himself from the group and made his way over to the wide, semicircular staircase on the right. He noticed a particularly well decorated looking gentleman and made his way over to him, the gentleman detected his approach and said "Is there something you need, young man?" The Spy looked him over quickly then replied, "As a matter of fact there is, sir. You see my name is Jonathan Greenston, and I am the Duke of Skudai, a small town likely never heard of in these parts of the world. I received an invitation but I'm afraid I've lost it, and as it just so happens I never caught a glimpse of the host's name, it seems silly but I am rarely invited to parties of such splendor and I wanted to thank him personally."

He digested this for a moment and it appears the others around him did as well then answered, "Well, I'm sorry to say this lad but I can't recall his name either, did any of you fine fellows catch the host's name?" he looked around at the people around him but only saw them shake their heads. "It appears that the host of this occasion wished to remain anonymous, however he should be in this room somewhere. The best of luck to you" with that he turned back to the conversation he was interrupted from, leaving the Spy to seek the host himself. He searched the ballroom, the hallways, even the gourmet kitchen, but every times he received the same answer "I haven't seen him," eventually he came to the conclusion that he simply wasn't there but just then, as fate would have it, the noise of trumpets resounded throughout the room and the host appeared at the top of the stairwell.

He was of average heighth with a broad, thickset frame, he wore exstravagant and exotic clothing, and had an almost comforting voice, almost. The Spy saw through his joyously false exterior straight into his corrupt heart and gleaned that the motives for this occasion were not in the least well intentioned, in fact he sensed a very deep hostility toward everyone before him, no wait, toward everyone in general. Something wasn't right with this man but at the moment he couldn't tell exactly what, "maybe that's for the better" he thought to himself. The host welcomed the guests with a bowing gesture and told them all why they were gathered there on that evening, "Today is very special because we will be making history tonight, if you will all follow me I will show you what I mean." The other guests seemed convinced by his confidence and conviction but the Spy felt chills down his spine whenever he heard the man speak, he shook it off for now and followed uneasily as they funneled toward a door on the right side of the hallway adjacent to the stairs.

As the Spy entered the large, crowded laboratory the host had led them to he felt a strange presence, it was even worse than the host himself. For once he didn't seem to be alone in this, nervous muttering could be heard throughout the room, the host stepped lightly onto a platform at the far end and began to speak his poisoned honey once more. The muttering stopped as they listened almost hypnotically, he himself felt the strange urge to listen to this joyous little fellow but every time he began to drift off that feeling returned, like he was being watched by some ancient force, one that was bent on devouring every living soul on the face of this planet and every other planet in existance. He noticed then that all noise in the room had ceased and that they were all staring at a large, round object set in the wall, a strange pulsating filled the air and terror seized his heart. The Spy jumped forward, tackling everyone before him just as a giant, black thing came through the device, at first the guests attacked savagely trying to get a look at the thing but then they just went limp in his arms. He began to black out as well, the thing had taken form and was currently breathing in brilliant points of bright light that seemed to seep out of the gawking guests then darkness engulfed him.

He awoke twenty minutes later surrounded by fuzzy black shapes, as his eyes adjusted in the meager light they still didn't seem to focus as if he was being prevented from seeing them fully. At that moment a man walked in, he wore casual business attire and a pocketwatch with a diamond set in the lid, the man began to speak but something was wrong with the Spy's ears, judging however from the gestures he was making he seemed to be introducing himself. The Spy tried to move, to indicate that he couldn't hear but his arms wouldn't cooperate, a ringing sound presently appeared from the soundless void and he was aware of a rough, inhuman voice speaking to him. All sound flooded back in suddenly and the voice seemed to notice, "That's better, isn't it?" it ground out, the Spy looked around for the origin of the voice but only found the fuzzy black figures and the man before him.

"Who's there?" he said trying to conceal his fright, the man twisted his head toward him in one swift motion and opened his mouth as if to talk but instead of a human voice the gravelly sound emerged from his throat. The Spy tried not to cry in terror, "I am the one you have been seeking am I not?" it sounded "Your boss sent you to find me, well here I am but I no longer care for any business of his. You see, I have evolved into a higher species, you now behold the Mouth of Ahriman" at that the figures in the background moaned inhumanly. At that moment the chip informed him of a key detail straight from the Leader's mouth, "Well then Mouth of Ahriman, tell the man whose body you've infected to meet me tomorrow at four, don't be late" the Spy said spitefully. The Mouth seemed about to speak once more but was cut off by a brilliant flash of light that filled the room, all of them screeched horrifyingly then all was silent and the Spy was gone. Moments later he was seen following a very satisfied looking woman out of the downtown temple with a briefcase.


	6. Chapter 5: The Meeting

2 Weeks Earlier

Dendri sat back as he watched the scene play out on his network of monitors and holograms, they were even better than he had suspected and he thought very highly of them. The Thief used her magic as a cover but could work quite well without it, the Merc knew how to extract information from anyone in any situation, the Assassin never missed the target even blindfolded, and the Spy could convince a scorpion to stab itself in the back if he wanted to then could blend in with surrounding environment before it had died. They were the very best and he had gotten them to join forces to help him, he still couldn't believe his luck, he heard the buzzer through the screen and remotely opened the garage door by simply pressing a few buttons on his holopad. The four of them entered the darkly lit room to find a console sitting squarely in the center, Dendri finished typing the final codes to his encryption and stood on the homemade hologram platform, the console in the empty room lit up with his silhouette but thanks to his codes did not show his image."Welcome," he said, the hologram on the screen copied his movements but spoke in a much deeper voice, "I am the one who has gathered you all here today, you may simply call me the Leader."

They seemed surprised by the sudden appearance, then when they had recomposed the Assassin said "Ok, Leader but we thought we'd be meeting you in person, everyone who knows anything about people like us would know that we need to trust the people we do jobs for. It's our way of making sure that we don't end up with a doublecrosser or madman." Dendri hadn't thought of that so he merely said "I'm no madman or backstabber but it's clear to me that saying that won't make you believe it so I propose an agreement, you work for me one time on a mission that even you would fail at without my guidance, and if you come out unscathed then you can keep all the profits and I will show my face to you. If not then I'm not to be trusted, that's a risk you'll have to take, I can only tell you that if you choose to trust me now then it will pay off for you more than any job you have ever done or will ever do." They stood quietly soaking it in, they wondered if this was really what he claimed it was, after all they would know better than anyone what happens when you trust someone that willingly.

Still it was very tempting, if it were true they'd never have to do another job again, better yet they could live that new life honestly and in luxury, they huddled together and all came to the same crazy conclusion. "We''ll do it" the Assassin said on their behalf " just remember, Leader, what we do to those who betray us." With that they left, Dendri stood alone once more on the platform "I did it," he thought "the plan worked, they'll do it, I just hope they're good enough to bring back Helsan. After all, he'd do it for me."

The next morning the four of them returned, the Leader was standing patiently on the platform, "Let's begin" he motioned to a screen behind him, "this is a map of the city of Beldai, most of you have called it home for the majority of your lives. Therefore, the places and people I'm going to mention should be familiar to you, use this to your advantage. On this street corner" he indicated the corner on the graphic map "is a skyscraper known locally as-" "as the Dark Tower, we know. Don't forget, Leader that we are professionals." the Merc interrupted, he pointed at the Spy who sat silently in the background observing the others. "This guy could even tell you that, just standing near it freezes my blood" he continued, " thank you for that, by the way why are you all the way back there?"

The Spy stood up, took three huge steps forward and said "I think better when I'm able to see everyone in a particular scene" the others jumped when they heard the voice that had come out of his mouth, it was a perfect imitation of the Merc. Even the Merc had to admit that it was like listening to a recording of himself, the Leader ignored the spectacle and continued with the mission at hand, "the Dark Tower is one of the tallest building on this planet standing nearly five thousand feet tall. What I need you four to do is sneak up to the penthouse located at the top and steal something for me." "What is it you want stolen?" asked the Thief suddenly very interested, "A person" suddenly the Assassin was interested as well, "where should I set up my gear?"

The Leader replied "Two blocks down the road, I need him alive so you will make a perfect lookout to watch for bots as the others apprehend him." The Merc perked up, "I can catch them alive or dead, just tell me who he is and he's as good as ours" the Leader rubbed his forehead in exasperation as far as they could tell, "you all need to calm down, you're used to working alone but I need you to work as a team, all you need to do is follow my instructions and we could pull this off in less than twenty minutes. However if you feel that my instructions aren't work your time then you might as well leave now because you're endangering your fellow teammates and yourself." At that point they began to really listen, when he was finished they all felt secure in their respective roles and left to go perpare themselves for tomorrow, the Leader shut down and prayed fervently that this wouldn't end with death. If he had to run from these guys for the rest of his life because something unforseen happened to one of them, he wouldn't live very long.


	7. Chapter 6: The Hostage

24 Hours Later

The Assassin walked silently over the flat rooftop, the serum seemed to have worked, no one seemed to think it was strange that a heavily armored man was pacing the rooftops. He watched patiently, almost hoping that something would go wrong but nothing so far did, occasionally a bot would come prowling but the Assassin was always two steps ahead with his diamond rifle filled with syringes of viruses. One shot and it completely forgets what the objective is and reports it to the local authorities, fortunately for him the syringe disintegrates on contact with novium which is exactly what the bots are made of. Just then he picked up a transmission from the Leader, "The target is fleeing your direction, stop him from escaping but don't under any circumstances kill him, understand?" "Ay ay, captain!" the Assassin responded energetically, he searched for the target, a man wearing a green robe, he searched left and right before he noticed a flurry of green movement in the crowds below. "Target spotted, tranquilizing now" he reached into his pack for tranq darts but only found an empty pouch, " scratch that, no tranqs, proceeding to apprehend on foot."

The Thief watched as the target pushed spectators out of the way clumsily as she followed gracefully in his wake, she had almost caught him when an object fell straight on top of her, she turned to push it off and found nothing there however she still felt pressure on her legs. She called to the Assassin, he answered with a cough, "I almost had him, he's faster than he appears" she grunted in aggravation then shoved his invisible form off of her and continued the chase. The target hadn't gotten far but it would be much harder to get to him through the writhing masses of people, the Leader called in at that moment. "The Ethereal Serum, use it now!" He yelled into her ear, she was annoyed by the scream but scolded herself for not thinking of it beforehand, she pulled out a vial of transparent, nearly invisible liquid. She injected herself and immediately began to feel lighter as if she would float off into the sky if she didn't grab onto something, she shook off the feeling and began to sprint straight forward into the crowd. Instinct told her to stop before she hit the people before her but she ignored it and barreled right through them, they didn't seem to notice at all because she had literally gone **through** them, she didn't stop until she caught sight of a green fleeting object.

The Merc wasn't one for high speed chases but he was a decent driver, when the target had escaped through the emergency escape entrance he gave no indication of chase. Instead he took the elevator back down and hopped on a hoverbike, he listened for the others to inform him of the target's location, five minutes later they called it in and he was off. He passed them within a matter of minutes and had the target cornered by the time they had caught up, they seemed angry that they ran for nothing but in the end they were just relieved that it was over. They took their own rides back to the rendevous point and rested momentarily before they dealt with the hostage, the Merc opened his bag of torture instruments and began his work, the man talked within minutes but then instantly shut his mouth.

The Merc was about to continue when the Leader said "Alright that's enough, Thief erase his memory and send him back to the pit we found him in" the Thief moved to obey but the Merc stayed her hand "but we've barely gotten anything out of him, he knows more I can feel it." "He's said plenty, even if it wasn't with his mouth, release him" they obeyed and that man to this day can't remember how he got a scar on the nape of his neck in the shape of a star, however he does remember that whatever happened during the days he stayed in the Dark Tower he'd rather forget.

Dendri sat back, something wasn't right about all of this, well he always knew something was wrong but this seemed like more than he had anticipated. He rewinded again to the moment the man's mouth snapped shut, it was almost as if someone else had shoved it closed but no one was there, he tried thermal imaging, zooming in, and video enhancment. Still nothing was to be seen, that's when he thought to try one last thing, normally this mode of video taking was shunned by anyone with self respect as a video taker yet it might just work in this situation. It was called fifth dimensionalizing and in was nearly immediately taken out of computers due to its picture distortation, Dendri had several old computers so they had it at least, whether or not it would work was a different issue entirely. He clicked on it and nearly fell out of his chair, the picture had become distorted all right but that no longer mattered, on the screen before him was a black form that appeared to be slamming the hostage's mouth closed very forcefully. He turned it off and the image he'd been staring at for hours returned, he turned in back on and the shape reappeared as if it had been there the whole time. He needed to tell the others.

The Merc sat in his little apartment, he still felt like there was more the hostage could have told them. That Leader of theirs said no though, why did he do that? The Merc couldn't guess but he didn't trust him too much, if he's witholding important information, things we need to know to survive then I might as well take him hostage. Suddenly he felt a chill down his spine like when a manevolent prescence enters the room, he sat up and looked around, nothing was there but yet he still didn't feel safe so he stood up and shut all the windows, and locked all the doors. He ended up in the hallway outside his front door, just then he heard a knocking on it, cautiously he stepped forward one foot at a time and opened the door. When he looked behind it he didn't even have the chance to scream before he was out cold, he dreamt of an evil darkness that was invading his soul and then thought no more that night or any night since.


	8. Chapter 7: The Hero

1 Month Earlier

The headline of the papers all across the city read "The Shadowlord hangs his cape forever, will evil gain a foothold once more?" The Shadowlord didn't care anymore, he simply could not protect the citizens of the entire city from its enemies. So he retired officially in front of the press worldwide, then in a brilliant flash of white disappeared forever never to be seen again. When he returned to his comfortable abode he felt restless, there was crimes being committed and he knew it yet those days were behind him now. He still had a job to do but it wasn't the same, it was true that he had a love for all things digital and he took joy in that but the videos he made were all of the heroics of the Shadowlord.

Just then the phone rang, it was Helsan, "Thank goodness" he thought, Helsan always knew how to cheer him up, he told him that there was a movie that they could do together as actor and director. He sat back and wondered what type of movie this would be, Helsan had good intentions but he picked horrible movies almost infallibly, "what kind of movie are we talking about Hels? Is this another one of those metaphorical shoots where I sit there filming a staircase for three hours, because if so then count me out." "Woah, woah, woah, this isn't another Wooden Staircase, this is being done by professionals. They saw your work on the Shadowlord and thought that you could make great action movie material, come on please this could be my big break."

He thought for a while on this then replied, "Fine, where is it being shot?" "The Dark Tower", he started laughing hysterically for about a minute straight then said "no really, where are we shooting?" "I already told you, it's the perfect spot for the holobike jump scene," that's when he realized Helsan was being serious. "But Hels, you know that that place is cursed, everyone in this city know that, why would you even consider something like that?" Silence emanated from the opposite end of the line, then sound returned saying "I don't know I just thought that maybe my making it big time would be important enough to you to overlook some silly superstition, but hey there's always next time, right?"

Now he felt horrible inside, the guilt gnawed on his mind as he tried to process how to respond, "Well, I guess I could-" "thanks, you're the best man. The shoot is next week on site, bring all your gear, bye!" Actors, they play with your mind but steal your heart, that's what happened in Helsan's case anyway. After the fire that sent him to live in the streets he was just another kid but Helsan would always give him food, drink, or the occasional pair of shoes. Eventually he decided to take him home to live with him, the house was enormous, especially when compared to the alley he used to live in, his parents weren't around much so they hadn't even realized that their son had essentially adopted a street urchin by the time he decided to strike out on his own. Since then they were inseparable, he still couldn't fully repay him for that so he began to pack the most expensive cameras and equipment so as to make a perfect first impression of his best friend. Once packed he settled down for bed, "after all" he thought, tomorrow will be a big day, only afterward did he realized how very true that was.

* * *

><p>8 Hours Later<p>

He arrived on set first thing in the morning, the set was still being put up and the staff was wandering about without instruction, "This is what they get for not hiring a director before beginning to film" still he enjoyed it. He was great at leading workers about, he called to a random employee that was pushing about a rack of costumes and asked who was in charge, the man simply pointed to the set and said "the one in the director's chair." He exploded on the inside with rage and began to stomp toward the set, the man sitting in his chair was faced the opposite way when he marched up to it, in one swift movement he yanked the chair and the man inside around. It was none other than Helsan, he tried to remain angry but it immediately melted when he saw his best friend again, "You made it!" he exclaimed, then pulled him into a big hug. "I'm so glad you're here, trying to contain this mess has been a disaster, please help me" with that he got to work setting up order with the staffing and within half an hour he had everyone working as a well oiled machine.

Helsan watched in amazement and when he was finished gave a standing ovation "I don't know how you do it but that was incredible, you're going to win a Silver Star for this one I just know it!" he was flattered but focused so he accepted then shooed him off, the first scene was being filmed in the lobby so he led the camera crew through the dusty, french doors. The hairs stood up on the back of his neck but he ignored it, nothing could distract him now from shooting the scene, he flicked the lights on, poised the camera, and yelled action. Helsan stood in the center of the room and quoted all his lines exactly, the emotion filled the air as the suspense accumulated then all the lights went out in the blink of an eye, a scream emanated from his right then a sound like scratching fell away to his left. Suddenly he heard a familiar voice, Helsan screamed as he was dragged away also, "Helsan! Helsan!" he screamed in return but nothing but silence could now be heard.

He prepared to go after him when something large and heavy smote him right in the head, he dreamed of Helsan's face as it was pulled away, the darkness held him down and he couldn't yell after him. When he awoke there was no sign that the set ever existed, all the cameras were gone, the people vanished, and the dust had settled back where it had been, he ran as fast as he could out of the building and tried to alert the authorities but no one would listen. That's when he came up with the most complicated and risky plan he'd ever set into motion, clearly the authorities wouldn't deal with it so he called on the people he knew that wouldn't mind disobeying them, after all they do it all the time.


	9. Chapter 8: The Thief

2 Weeks Earlier

The Shadowlord watched as the woman slowly stuffed the bag full of money, "Where do these guys get the guts to pull off things like this for money that can be traced back to the guy who took it?" he thought to himself, criminals didn't think too far into the future. There would be repercussions to this crime and in the end she'd end up in a prison like the rest of them, yet even this didn't deter the next wave of scumbags that will do just about anything for money. The Shadowlord jumped nimbly off the ledge he was perched on and landed in front of the Thief, she jumped in surprise then recovered and attacked him viciously with kicks, flips, and punches. He expertly dodged all of them and parried by thrusting his leg out and swinging it quickly left, she was sent flying to the ground but obstinantly got back on her feet.

"Persistance, how odd, usually by now they'd give up and realize that the money isn't worth it" he resumed his attack with renewed vigor but met with constant insistence and stubbornness. "Why are you fighting so hard for something that will betray you in the end?" he said aloud, she didn't answer but kept fighting, tired of this game the Shadowlord pulled her into a hold that she couldn't escape. "What's so important about this money?" he asked again, this time the Thief burst into tears, that wasn't what he was expecting "It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you any more" "it's not that" came the long awaited reply.

"Well, what is it then?" he started to genuinely feel sorry for her now, "It's my sister, she's deadly sick I thought that this could pay for her medicine, I don't care if you get me arrested just please help her, I'm her only hope right now." The Shadowlord suddenly felt guilt well up inside him, he tied her up gently nevertheless and left her for the authorities, when he returned home he pulled out all the cash he had received from the last video he directed. He sent it to the prison with these words written on it, "To: the newest inmate, she was found at the city bank. From: a concerned citizen, use it wisely."

* * *

><p>24 Hours Later<p>

The guard on the night shift opened the package, "I wish they would just get bot guards already, this has got to be the only prison on the planet that hasn't upgraded yet. Still a job is a job, who am I to complain?" he looked inside to find a large wad of cash, he slowly counted out the amount then wrote it down and sent the whole package down the chute for prisoner #3729. The Thief heard the telltale ring of mail, she looked up to see if it was hers, it rarely was but this time the green light shot on, she had mail? From who?

Her sister could have sent it, but that meant that she spent all her dinner money on stamps, "She never listens to me" she thought "what is she gonna do now? We were bad off before but now we're almost penniless," the incoming object came hurtling down the chute at extreme speeds, when it neared the bottom a blast of air slowed it to a complete stop. It waited for her to hold her hands out to catch it, she obliged and found herself holding something light and big, she was afraid to look at the expensive letter her sister had sent her but peeked anyway. It wasn't a letter at all, rather it was a package with a peculiar bump sitting snugly in the middle, the packaging suggested that it was priority mail which meant that no one she knew could have sent it. She read the note on the outside then tore open the wrappings cautiously and looked inside, her heart bagan to race, this was more money than she had ever owned and she didn't even have to steal it.

She reread the note and wondered who could have possibly known why she needed or why they cared for a stranger that may have stolen their wallet in the past, giddily she dismissed these thoughts and called the guard that stood on her corner. She asked him if he could send the package to her apartment, (or what passed for one those days) he took it and sent it off immediately, she thanked him repeatedly when he returned and nearly shouted with delight. The Thief sat down on her bunk and laid down to get some rest, and for once she fell asleep without a worry in the world. She dreamed that her sister was finally well and that she ended her life of crime and got a real job, she dreamed that the world was a brighter place and that people actually cared for each other. All was well for now.

She awoke the next morning to find the warden standing at her door, she immediately sat up and stood rigid, no matter how many times she got sent here this man alone scared her every time. He stood at the entrance staring at the contents in the room, resting finally on her, "Good news, #3729, you've been bailed, but remember that one more trip here will mean the rest of your miserable life will be spent behind these bars. Am I clear?!" "Yes sir, warden, sir!" she said trying to keep her voice from breaking, "Good, now pack up your belongings, I want you out of here in five minutes, move!" He walked away briskly leaving her to clear the cell of her belongings which included her jacket, a canteen, and her shoes, she slipped her jacket and shoes on and picked up her canteen. She walked out of the facility as she'd done countless times over the past twenty years, she hoped she'd never have to return but she knew she probably would "Keep my cell warm for me while I'm gone" she thought as she looked at it for the last time.

The Shadowlord watched from the building adjacent to the prison, he smiled when he saw her exit and run straight home, he followed until she reached the front door to her building. She climbed the stairs two at a time barely stopping once to take a break, when she entered her apartment she was stopped in her tracks by a huge hug, he guessed that her sister was giving her the news. The Thief responded by telling her that she had sent it, but didn't know who it had come from originally, they hugged again and the Shadowlord thought he caught a line or two of their conversation. "We can finally get you the treatment you need... you'll finally be cured." He'd seen enough, it was a relief to see the good he was doing for the fair citizens of this city, and to think that he almost considered retiring.


	10. Chapter 9: The Assassin

2 Weeks Earlier

The siren sounded with a blare, the Shadowlord sat srtaight up in his bed, "Why do criminals always commit their crimes at night?" he thought aloud to himself, with a sigh he got up and donned his suit. With the press of a few buttons he was suddenly sent flying through time and space, when he exited the other end of the tumultous wormhole he was at his destination, he surveyed the surroundings. Apparently the criminal was in the uptown area, this wasn't uncommon seeing as there are many expensive things in this district, the Shadowlord glimpsed some movement out of the corner of his eye. A man was laying on his belly directly to his right on a rooftop nearby, he had propped up a diamond rifle and was aiming at the building adjacent his, his finger was on the trigger and he seemed to be waiting for the target to walk by.

That's when the Shadowlord realized that in just a few moments the target in the opposite building would be dead, with a flick of his wrist he tapped the a different set of numbers and braced himself. Another flash and he was on top of the target, he fell with a crash but it wasn't soon enough, the bullet hit him in the shoulder and he cringed in pain then fell on the floor. The man he just saved muttered something about the audacity of some people then got up and continued on his way, "Great way to repay the guy who saved your life" the Shadowlord thought but didn't say due to the searing pain. The Assassin on the rooftop looked back through the scope and found him dying on the floor, with a sudden surge of guilt he packed up his rifle "this wasn't what I had in mind" he thought as he jumped from the roof to the cement below. He slowed to a stop just before he hit the ground and landed gently due to his rocket pack, he raced across the empty street as fast as he could and entered the building, he pulled open the second story elevator door.

The space above was completely empty, so he started his rocket pack and boosted up, the target he'd been seeking was supposed to be on the twenty second floor so he watched carefully as the numbers flew by. He slowed as he came up to the twenties and forced the second open when he came to it, the Shadowlord had lost a substantial amount of blood by the time the Assassin reached him so he immediately crouched over his crumpled form and pushed on the entry wound. It took some time but eventually the bleeding stopped, the Shadowlord opened his eyes slowly so as to look upon his rescuer just to find the rescuer was the man that had shot him to begin with. The Assassin took out a couple of serums and medical wrappings, "this won't heal your wound completely but in will help to close it." He said while pouring the first serum on, the second one he didn't bother to explain but it hurt much worse than the first, the Shadowlord moaned in agony but the Assassin ignored it and began to wrap it up.

"It's a good thing the bullet went completely through or I would've had to pull it out and you would have bled to death," he said, the Shadowlord pulled him to his face and replied "why did you shoot me at all?" The question seemed fair but there wasn't time to explain at the moment, "I'll answer whatever questions you have later but right now I need to find the man that stole my life." With that he shook the Shadowlord off of him and ran through the door that the target had passed through, the Shadowlord had half a mind to let him kill the apathetic weasle but thought better of it. He got up and followed him through the door, the Assassin was at the far end of the room headed toward the elevator but suddenly stopped when he found a grappling hook looped around his waist. "Why do you want to kill this man?"

He asked, "Didn't he just leave you to die?" The Assassin asked in return, "I asked why **you** wanted to kill him, not me" he retorted, "I don't need to answer to you now let me go or I'll shoot!"He raised his weapon toward him, he seemed to be getting frustrated by the fact that the target was getting away, "You wouldn't shoot the man you just saved the life of so I won't release you until you tell me what he did to you to deserve this," he hoped he was right about him, and that hope paid off when he lowered the rifle in submission, "I don't have time for twenty questions, please he's getting away!" The Shadowlord thought for a second then said "Fine, but I'm coming with you and we will not kill him, do you understand?" He seemed infuriated by the choice but finally said "Fine." The rope slackened and the Assassin jumped out, immediately he began to sprint after him.

They found the man in the lobby talking to some bodyguards, the guards took one look at them as they exited the elevator and pulled out their concealed pistols, they began to fire and the lobby became a warzone. The Assassin started firing back with his diamond rifle and the Shadowlord kept popping in and out of the room pulling guards with him every time he disappeared, in the end the only ones in the room were a couple of dead guards and the target. He looked on his dead comrades with dead eyes then began to sprint toward the door, he was fast for someone in a three hundred czut suit, the Assassin turned to the Shadowlord. "Go after him," he shook his head and said "I"m out of battery, we'll have to catch him on foot" the Assassin simply began running in reply, they couldn't see him at first but then they caught sight of him turning a corner three blocks down. He was knocking down people and objects to slow them down but that didn't deter them, he looked behind and saw that they were gaining on him so he started to search for the nearest form of transportation which happened to be a holobike that had just pulled up.

He kicked the rider off and pulled a U-Turn straight into oncoming traffic, he dodged the vehicles at blinding speeds like he was running for his life, which for all he knew he was. They grabbed a pod that he had nearly ran into, (the driver was unconscious) and continued the chase, suddenly he pulled up high into the air and pulled another U-Turn. When he did so he switched lanes, now he was going with the traffic, they pulled up and did the same, when they hit the other side the bumper smashed against the divider. The fuel tank was located near the bumper so the Shadowlord looked back to see if any damage was done, it was mildly damaged but that was all that was necessary to cause a leak. "We have a leak, if we're going to catch this guy we have to do it now!" the Assassin nodded his head in confirmation and sped up, "You never told me why you want to kill him," he added almost as an afterthought.

The Assassin sighed and shouted "if I tell you will you shut up and let me drive?" "Yes!" the Shadowlord answered immediately, the Assassin began his tale like this: "A couple weeks ago my life was great, I had a job, a wife, and a little girl, then I met this man and he tells me that I'm fired so I pack up my office and head home to tell my wife. When I get there I see him on the front porch with a match in his hand, I beg for him not to but he acts like he doesn't even hear me and the next thing that I know the whole house is on fire. I rush past him and pulled at the door with all my might but it won't budge, and the guy just walks to his car and leaves, I could hear them screaming and I began to shove the door inwards but it was made of galvanized sektium. I knew in my mind it was useless but my body refused to give up, I kept hammering it until I threw my shoulder out and then I began punching it until I bled but it never gave. The screaming was then no more than an agonized moaning and then it went silent, the lack of sound hit me like a brick wall and I began to weep bitterly for my losses, I contiued until I fell asleep. The next morning I awoke with renewed vigor and swore vengeance on this man, these past weeks I've been hunting him and now I've found him, I just wish I could have the satisfaction of killing him myself."

The Shadowlord felt deep remorse and now more than ever wanted to kill that filthy leach but even then he remembered his promise, the one he had made long ago. They were now right behind him, the Assassin handed him the steering wheel and climbed carefully onto the hood, the man looked behind him and jumped, he tried to switch lanes but he was blocked on all sides. The Assassin saw his opportunity and pounced on his prey, they rolled off the bike and hit the ground at high speed, both rolled to a stop about five hundred feet away near the divider. The Assassin recovered first and began to punch the man in the face repeatedly, the only thing that stopped him in the end was the Shadowlord who came running in about two minutes later. The target's face was beaten very badly but he survived, the authorities showed up and escorted him away, as they were pulling his limp form toward the ambulance he woke up and began to scream. "The darkness, it's got me! Run, escape, it will consume you all! The darkness, the darkness..."


	11. Chapter 10: The Spy

1 Week Earlier

Helsan had been getting suspicious as of late as to where he was going all those times he got crime alerts, the Shadowlord would usually tell him that there wasn't enough time to explain but that didn't do anymore. He wanted answers and the Shadowlord was running out of ideas, that's when he met the Spy, he was crafty, cunning, fully devoted to his role, bewitchingly charismatic and charming. The Shadowlord left Helsan at the diner without answering the question he had been repeating for days and returned home, all that afternoon he tried to think of viable alibis for where he was and why he was there but in the end he came out with nothing. The doorbell rang and a voice yelled through the door something about the chance of a lifetime, he got irritated because he knew it would be some salesperson trying to get him to buy something.

He opened the door ready to tell him to bug off when he began to speak so fast the Shadowlord didn't even have time to talk, "Hey, how would you like to go on a cruise out in space? You don't have to answer, take your time, do you mind?"He said stepping in, "What a lovely house you've got here, I recognize some models that you've bought from our exclusive firm but tell me do you really like it here 24/7? Of course not, so what you need is a vacation but not just any vacation, a trip to the beautiful paradise that is Jascus Prime, the rolling hills, the ocean breeze, feel the wind in your hair, do you feel that? I haven't even gotten to the best part yet, you've won this completely free of charge, no contract, no fine print, no problems, we don't even need your signature just grab this ticket I've got here and you'll be on your way!"

The Shadowlord began to make sense of it all as the Spy stopped his auctioneer fast rambling, he started to like the sound of it, there was just one thing in the way, if he left and there was a crime Shadowlord wouldn't be there to stop it. "No thank you, it sounds very nice but I've got far too much work to do as it is, no time for vacations" the Spy's face seemed to twitch momentarily with desperation then regained it's former welcoming smile. "That's alright, it's just a shame really, I'm your biggest fan and you seem like you needed a break but I'll just tell the bots that Shadowlord won't actually be leaving-" "how do you know who I am?!" the Shadowlord interrupted angrily.

A sly grim played across the Spy's face as he explained, "I'm not really part of any sales firm but I am a great actor, it's a talent that I've always had, one of my two best talents, the other is my powers of observation, you see I noticed your radio had been retrofitted to hear police lines. You have a candlestick right here that has collected less dust than the others, I can guess that's because it's not a candlestick at all but a lever which opens this wall that has a faint breeze wafting from its general direction. It must have your famous suit of armor hidden behind it, I'd been hearing rumors around town of you, a vigilante that is never sensed by even the most secure protective measures, I still haven't figured out that puzzle. Yet that no longer matters because I have only the single most incriminating piece of information I could find about you and thus a hefty bit of leverage over you, wouldn't you say?"

The Shadowlord stumbled back into his chair, after all the work to keep his identity a secret and one stranger with the gift of observation walks in and unmasks everything. "Why are you doing this to me?" He asked quietly after calming a bit, "It's really nothing personal, I just need your home to lie low in for a while then I'll be out of your hair and your secret will be safe with me," the Shadowlord thought about this then retorted "wait, if you're hiding from the authorities then how do you have any leverage? Only they would try to unmask me for what I've done" "yes, but I'm just crazy enough to turn myself in if it means getting you arrested right along with me, now quit trying to get out of this because you're not gonna." the Spy seemed sure of it, the Shadowlord looked the other man up and down, he had black hair, a long slim face, and long hair that reached just down to the top of his neck, and he had it tucked behind his ear.

He wore an expensive looking suit and had a briefcase with what appeared to be little black spheres sticking out the side, the Shadowlord said "Why is someone dressed so nicely running from the police, you don't seem like the type of person to steal, or kill, or even dress wrong for a party so why the trickery?" the Spy looked him up and down to see if he really wanted to know or if he was just stalling for time, he concluded that he genuinely cared, it caught him by surprise but it was refreshing to find someone with no alterior motives. "It all began when I got fired as an actor, before the shoot began for my first big movie a new director stepped in and began to change the whole thing, it crushed me but I left in peace, the next morning the papers all read 'Local actor fired, goes on murderous rampage' apparently three fellow actors had been murdered that last night, I knew then that I had to get out of that city. The only problem was the bots, they had swarmed the whole area overnight, I had enough trouble getting out the front door let alone the entire city, so I found my stash of stage props and devised my first costume. It was crude but it worked well enough to get me out of there, now I'm on the run and I need somewhere to wait for the frenzy to die down."

The Shadowlord saw that he was telling the truth, though why someone would frame him was beyond him, so he let him stay with him the next few days and then he was on his way. He didn't see him for some time after that, the only thing that this coincidental meeting left any trace of was the ticket that actually would have taken him to Jascus Prime. Part of him wished that he'd gone but he later decided that it was worth the time to stay, after all you don't meet a friend like that but once in a lifetime.


	12. Chapter 11: The Mercenary

1 Week Earlier

The Shadowlord was on his way home when he saw the Merc dressed in his intimidating armor, he was on the other side of the street running like he was being chased by somebody or something. He had a panicked look in his eye and kept stumbling blindly into people and objects, the Shadowlord was tired, he'd just rounded up an entire gang of criminals but he could hardly resist helping the fleeing man. With a sigh he dropped what he was doing and ducked into an alley, within seconds he had his suit on, the Merc hadn't gone far but he could now see the thing that was chasing him vaguely. It was barely visible and people didn't seemed to notice it at all but it was definitely there, why weren't they seeng this? That's when he realized that his suit had 5th dimensional vision, it wasn't always the most useful feature but it helpd him to avoid areas that he couldn't transport into, the figure had nearly caught up to him.

The Shadowlord jumped off the rooftops and hit the ground running, the Merc saw this and got even more frantic,"Great, now the Shadowlord is after me, it's like I'm public enemy number one over here, come on where are the bots and gunshots and sirens?" He thought. Sirens began blaring loudly in the distance, "I didn't mean it!" He yelled aloud, the Shadowlord tackled what looked like air behind him, unfortunately he knew that it wasn't air. He didn't know what it was but it had just jumped out of his last "client" and had been chasing him ever since, the Shadowlord was now out of sight the Merc began to hope that this whole nightmare was over.

Just as he began to slow down a barrel exploded behind him, the superhero was on top of it and it was throwing him around like a ragdoll, the Merc began to sprint with renewed vigor and this time he didn't look back. A little while later the adrenaline wore out and he stopped at a street corner to catch his breath, he was breathing hard and hunched over when the bots arrived, they said "Stop citizen, you're under arrest!" The Merc groaned with exasperation and pulled out his Slicers. The were a fusion of whip and daggers, they cut thought the bots' metal frames like butter then automatically returned to his wrists, he couln't help but grin even in a sitution like this.

More bots began to pour into the street and he continued he chase, he needed to get off the street, the only problem was finding a way out, the answer came bursting out of the shop nearby. The thing that had been chasing him must have been enormous so he reasoned that it must be tall enough to get him onto the roofops, the Shadowlord was nowhere to be seen. The Merc jumped blindly toward the hole in the wall of the shop, amazingly he landed on a rough surface and every step he took from then on was uphill, confidently he climbed toward the rooftops and jumped about six feet from the edge. He caught it with his upper body but the rest of him was hanging precariously from the ledge, he pulled himself up but when he stood he became unbalanced, that's when the Shadowlord reappeared. The Merc fell back for a second, he knew he would die if he hit the ground from this height, suddenly the feeling of freefall ended followed by a sharp pain in his arm and he looked up to see the Shadowlord holding his wrist.

He pulled him up and began to to help him to stand when the bots returned, he threw some sort of gas at the machines and sprnted away, the Merc followed after wondering why he would help someone like him. The Shadowlord stopped at the edge of the roof they were on and was staring at something intently when the Merc caught up, "The thing that's chasing you, it's down there, don't move" the Merc slid down to the ground immediately and tried to see it in vain. The Shadowlord watched for a few more moments then motioned him forward, the Merc jumped across the gap between the buildings, he followed him and they did this for a little while longer until they were certain that they were clear. Once they were inconspicuous again the Shadowlord asked "why was that thing following you and why were the bots involved?" The Merc replied "I don't know what that was or why the bots are after me, I didn't do anything" he couldn't see the Shadowlord's face through the helmet but he seemed to be smiling as if that were a joke. "Sure, you didn't do anything, that's why you're wearing armor and you've got blood literally on your hands" the Merc turned around and quickly scrubed his hands clean then turned back, "listen, you saved me so I owe you just don't turn me in, I'm on the verge of unmasking what's really going on in this city."

The Shadowlord seemed to consider this momentarily then responded by knocking him out, the Merc didn't see it but he shook his hand and held back tears afterward, "Memo to me, don't punch battle armor" he thought. He tied him up quickly then called the bots, they arrived as a brilliant flash of light disappeared behind the vent that had the criminal on it, the Merc was in jail for the rest of that day and the next but they couldn't find anything to incriminate him so they released him. He scowled at the empty rooftops as he exited the building, "that Shadowlord best keep to himself, no one betrays me and gets away with it, I'm coming after him and when I find him he'll wish that he never left his precious shadows."


	13. Chapter 12: The Mentor

6 Years Earlier

Dendri sat back at his desk, his windows were dirty, his couch was dustier than the desert outside, and his faucet continually leaked but it was his. He knew it was rundown, beat up, and borderline unsafe to live in but he still took pride in the few physical possessions he owned, a knock on the door pulled him out of his revelry. Helsan stood at the door with his usual charming smile, he took one look at the place and Dendri knew he hated it but he continued to smile and say "I'm speechless" that was his codeword for "it couldn't be uglier if it came from a Polsit nest." Dendri ignored the fake compliment and hugged him, "What are you doing in my house?" He said playfully, Helsan caught on and retorted "Oh, I'm sorry I thought I was in the pretty lady's house above yours, you couldn't possibly have a use for this new Link Holopad Nine."

Dendri cut the act when he saw the housewarming gift his friend had got him, "How did you get this, they're not even in stores yet, let alone the hardware store where I get all my computer equipment!" "Nothing is too good for my best friend, and between you and me this place could use a little touching up" Dendri suddenly remembered his manners, "oh, would you like a tour of my grand estate?" Helsan looked the single room apartment and said "I think I just got it, is this really all you own?" Dendri sat down on the couch which billowed dust into the air in one big puff, "Yeah, it is" he replied through a fit of coughs, moments later he regained his composure and continued "I bought this dust magnet from the landlord as part of our deal, the hoverchair was a tough deal but I got it decently cheap at the local black market, and the desk was locked away in a storage facility on the edge of town, it was just about the only thing to survive the fire besides me, of course." Helsan seemed to be in actual pain when he saw the just how extensively broke his friend was, "I tell you what, buddy, you clean this place up a bit and I'll get you the best job money can buy" Dendri objected immediately "no, no, no please don't, I moved out of your place because I wanted to start living my own life, don't help me out when I can earn these things myself. I know it looks bad but I bought it myself and it felt good to have earned this, I'm no charity, Hels, not anymore."

* * *

><p>2 Months Later<p>

Dendri wished now more than ever that he'd taken Helsan's offer, he was just returning home from his job as a Scrapper operator (apparently it takes a high intellect to work the poorly made machines) when he stopped by the black market to see if it was still there. It was, the suit that Kilhendo the Great used during the Dune Wars was still there, unfortunately that meant that the price had almost surely risen, even so he checked like he did every time. To his astonishment it hadn't risen a czut, he frantically checked his pockets and counted it out, 20 czuts, he thought back to how much he had saved and it totaled to just over 400 czuts. He reread the price and nearly squealed with excitement, he had enough, "I'd better get home before another buyer comes by" he thought frantically, so he ran across the street to his apartment and finally broke open his savings jar. He paused and wondered if it was worth an entire two months' savings then remembered that it was nearly priceless to the right collectors and raced once more out the door.

Miraculously it was still there when he came back but that's when he realized that he wasn't the only one who wanted it, a hooded figure stood nearby at another vendor but he was slowly making his way toward the valuable suit. Dendri poured on the speed until he thought that his lungs would explode, he was twenty feet away, then ten, then five but it still didn't seem fast enough, the hooded figure was ahead of him. That's when the impossible happened, he was stopped by a beggar asking for money, this seemed to catch him by surprise but he quickly recovered and rushed past the kid but by that time it was too late. Dendri had already gotten there and was in the process of handing the money over, the vendor opened the protective casing and held it out for him, it was the happiest moment of his life yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. On his return trip he discovered the origin of that feeling, the hooded figure laid waiting for him in the shadows, "I've been watching you recently Dendritius Sertenas and I think it would be wise if you came with me."

The lair of the hooded figure was enormous, there were various pieces of equipment scattered throughout the space and plenty of advanced machinery beeping and clicking through the otherwise interminable silence. Dendri still had the suit but even with it he felt exposed in the center of the room, the figure had instructed him to stay there, normally he wouldn't have listened but there was something commanding about his soft, yet fierce tone that he couldn't quite place. For the last few minutes the figure had simply been staring at him, not moving an inch, so naturally neither did Dendri, this made for a rather uncomfortable silence and finally he couldn't stand it anymore. "What do you want with me?" He demanded but still the figure sat staring, "Is this some sort of joke, because if it is I'm not afraid to use this thing" he said holding out the suit, " the hooded figure finally spoke "and why do you have that suit?"

Dendri was phased a little by this, he had seen him buy the thing, why would he ask that, "I bought it just a few minutes ago, or weren't you the one who was chasing me trying to get it?" The figure stood up and before Dendri could respond he was on the ground with the other man's hands around his throat, "Listen well, you are wrong, you didn't buy it you stole it, when you buy something stolen you receive the crime as well. I would tell you to return it but I doubt the vendor's there anymore, so now you have an illegal suit but even though it's tainted that doesn't mean that we can't use it for good, and that's exactly what we'll do." The man released his grip of Dendri's throat and held out a hand to help him up, "Why would I help a lunatic like you?" he yelled once he was on his feet, the figure responded "Because it's your fate" Dendri didn't understand what he meant but he was tired of addressing a nameless man. "If you stand for such good then why do you hide your identity, what's your name?" the hood fell back and he said "You may call me the Mentor."

* * *

><p>3 Months Later<p>

The Mentor was on the temple's utmost peak balancing on the tip when Dendri popped up next to him from out of nowhere, he jumped in surprise and nearly fell but regained his posture just before he did. "What have I told you about that?" He said angrily, the anger was lost on Dendri however because when the Mentor was meditating there was a calm about him that took a while to vanish completely. As a result he couldn't sound that angry even when he was nearly killed by his own pupil, "Sorry sir but it's an emergency, the suspect has exited the building, we must follow him or we'll never find him again." The Mentor gave no indication that he would chase him, after a moment he said "Well, you'll never catch him if you stay here" Dendri didn't understand at first what he meant but then the full implications of it hit him.

He transported back to where he had originally seen the suspect, "I'm finally ready to catch criminals on my own, or at least that's what the Mentor thinks, okay be professional." He thought, the suspect had been spotted going south so that's the direction that Dendri headed, soon he had spotted him again in a pod going toward the upper class district. He followed at a half run, half transport speed, and pretty soon the pod pulled up to a large, abnormally grey building that stood out among the sand colored buildings around it. The suspect paid the cabby and entered it, a sign was on the front doors with the words Drak Towers on them, Dendri followed by transporting into what he hoped was the elevator shaft. Instead when he emerged from the tunnel he was greeted by the suspect and about twenty other sharply dressed men, there was a small chair right behind him but nothing else decorated the room.

"Sit down" he said, at the sound of his voice two of the men pulled Dendri into the chair and tied him up, "now what may we call you, shadowlurker?" Dendri looked up and said "You may not call me anything, corrupt one for I am above the shadows and therefore above you, if you must speak my name then you may call me Shadowlord." They seemed taken aback by his confidence and eloquent speech but it didn't last, the suspect began to speak to his henchmen "His heart cannot be swayed, kill him and let Ahriman feast on his soul." The henchmen both pulled out identical pistols, they weren't normal diamond pistols but pure black pistols made of something Dendri didn't even want to guess at, that's when he sent out the emergency rescue signal. The Mentor heard it and pulled out the transportation device, it was a smaller version of the one on Dendri's armor so it would only work once, he just hoped that he got the location right.

A blinding light suddenly filled the dark room and the two henchmen slunk back to the corners of the empty space, the Mentor appeared out of the light like a guardian angel and Dendri thought to himself "That was close" he didn't realized just how close until he heard the gunshots. He watched as the Mentor fell, his face contorted in anguish and his own blood staining his frame, that second lasted a lifetime for Dendri and he relived it for several months afterwards every time he closed his eyes. Finally the moment ended and the grief that he felt gave way to pure rage, the next few minutes were a blur of gunshots, blood, and screams, the next thing he knew the chair he'd been sitting on was broken in pieces on the floor, the bodies of the henchmen were sprawled out next to the Mentor's, and he was holding the emergency transporter. He dropped the transporter and ran from the building trying to escape the horrifying scene he'd just been standing in, the transporter hit the ground and broke apart with a spark, the next morning the newspaper read "Mysterious Fire at Drak Towers."


End file.
